Convenience Of The Week

I have written before that one of my greatest phobias is to be trapped in a lift.

Last weekend’s undersea earthquake off Japan, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale, caused 20,000 lifts in Tokyo to stop, 14 of them between floors. In one case people were stuck inside for an hour before being rescued.

I was relieved to read this week that following this tremor and in preparation for the “big one” where authorities predict as many as 17,000 could be trapped inside Tokyo’s lifts, enhanced precautions are being considered. Japanese authorities are examining the feasibility of requiring all lifts to be fitted with toilets and emergency drinking water facilities – not from the same source, I trust. One option is to install a portable toilet featuring a waterproof bag or some other absorbent material inside a collapsible cardboard structure.

As many Japanese lifts come with seating to accommodate the growing ageing population, the addition of a karsey and a water fountain means you could comfortably spend the day there without even having to bother moving floors. WiFi connection, which I always find a bit iffy in a lift, would be a bonus.

To know that if I was stuck in a lift I could have a waz would give me great peace of mind.